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Neda Naderi , screencasting
What is screencasting? As with video podcasting, screencasting refers to primarily visual material, in this case captured from a computer screen. Screencasts fall into two broad categories: Screencast A screencast is a digital recording of computer screen output, also known as a video screen capture, often containing audio narration. The term screencast compares with the related term [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screenshot screenshot]; whereas screenshot is a picture of a computer screen, a screencast is essentially a movie of the changes over time that a user sees on a computer screen, enhanced with audio narration. Uses An example of screencasting: A video showing how to change a photo using "levels" in GIMP. Screencasts can help demonstrate and teach the use of software features. Creating a screencast helps software developers show off their work. Educators may also use screencasts as another means of integrating technology into the curriculum. Students can record video and audio as they demonstrate the proper procedure to solve a problem on an interactive whiteboard. Screencasts are useful tools for ordinary software users as well: They help filing report bugs in which the screencasts take the place of potentially unclear written explanations; they help showing others how a given task is accomplished in a specific software environment. Organizers of seminars may choose to routinely record complete seminars and make them available to all attendees for future reference and/or sell these recordings to people who cannot afford the fee of the live seminar or do not have the time to attend it. This will generate an additional revenue stream for the organizers and makes the knowledge available to a broader audience. This strategy of recording seminars is already widely used in fields where using a simple video camera or audio recorder is sufficient to make a useful recording of a seminar. Computer-related seminars need high quality and easily readable recordings of screen contents which is usually not achieved by a video camera that records the desktop. *Home > *Articles > *Screencasting to Engage Learning (EDUCAUSE Review) =Screencasting to Engage Learning= *Share *Log in to Recommend by Michael F. Ruffini Published on Thursday, November 1, 20120 Comments Key Takeaways *Screencasts can provide learners a student-centered and engaging learning experience in both distance and traditional learning settings. *To align screencasts with lesson objectives, goals, assessment practices, and standards, instructors can create their own screencasts rather than searching through the thousands of educational screencast videos on the web. *Good educational screencasts depend not only on thorough planning but also on thoughtful and careful editing to re-sequence lesson elements, eliminate awkward and unnecessary portions, and craft a focused, easy-to-follow presentation that uses students' time efficiently. Students in both K–12 and higher education will spend all of their personal and professional lives immersed in a digital society. Educators in today's classrooms must be able to use and integrate both current and emerging technologies. One of the keys to effective 21st century teaching is to balance traditional pedagogical methods with the effective use of technology to foster learning. Many educational technology tools can be used in instruction; however, one fundamentally useful tool in teaching is the screencast. A screencast can provide learners a student-centered and engaging learning experience in both distance and traditional learning settings. Screencasts enable teachers to create a digital recording of any instructional activity performed on a computer screen,1 and they can be used as learning resources, learning tasks, and learning support.2 This article focuses on educational screencasts. The topics explored include an overview of screencasting, its benefits, the flipped classroom, screencast software, tools, planning, and teacher-created screencasts. (For specifics on creating screencasts from PowerPoint slides, see my tutorial "Creating a PowerPoint Screencast Using Camtasia Studio.") Screencasting Overview A screencast is a digital video and audio recording of what occurs on a presenter's computer screen, and it can be used to create sophisticated, information-rich multimedia presentations. The word "screencast" was first coined by columnist Jon Udell in 2005. Udell first used the word in an article published inInfoWorld, describing the benefits of using this technique to show his readers how computer applications worked. In a screencast, the presenter records all the screen activity and images continuously to complete a designated task. Audio can be recorded simultaneously or afterwards in postproduction along with sound effects and music tracks.3 Screencasting can be integrated across the curriculum and into many learning activities. Screencasts are an effective instructional format that can be used for tutorials, demonstrations, digital storytelling, and narrated PowerPoint presentations. During the video editing process a variety of media can be imported into a screencast project, such as video clips, photos, music, and animations. Screencasting is a multimedia alternative to video recording, is easy to use, and helps fill a need for dynamic, engaging content. Screencasts have many applications, which include: *Training — such as learning new software and orientations to new products. *Teaching — a lesson on a particular topic or showing a step-by-step process, in which students can learn material at their own pace or catch up on missed sessions. *Selling — a product. *Blogging and YouTube — communicating opinions, facts, and ideas, etc. Screencast Benefits As computer technology continues to evolve and advance, many teachers from K–12 and higher education use screencasting as an online or stand-alone teaching tool with traditional teaching approaches to enhance and engage the learning experience of their students. Sugar, Brown, and Luterbach noted that screencasting as an instructional strategy may be viewed as a modern descendent of instructional film and video.4 A screencast can include many multimedia elements — music, sound effects, audio, and graphics — along with text, making any content topic engaging while also appealing to different learning modalities. Mayer's theory of multimedia learning suggests that animated presentations that have a corresponding audio component, essentially moving picture and sound, provide a more effective learning experience than a more traditional alternative (e.g., a sequence of still images accompanied by descriptive text).5 Screencasting has emerged as a prominent teaching tool on the Internet. There are several advantages for both the instructor and the student. For the teacher a screencast is an efficient and effective means of describing a step-by-step process, explaining a particular concept, or presenting a PowerPoint presentation with narration. Teachers have the ability to craft succinct and concise presentations because each screencast can be edited. The inclusion of video-based instruction in online environments, such as screencasting, can have positive effects on student learning and can be pedagogically equivalent to their face-to-face instruction counterparts.6 For the student, screencasting allows them to learn by example, seeing for instance a step-by-step sequence in great detail or viewing a screencast video directly related to lesson content. In addition, students can watch a screencast video anytime, anywhere and have complete control of the lesson, which means they review any part of the presentation as needed. Screencasts can be delivered via streaming or downloaded in their entirety for later viewing.7 The ability to pause or review content also gives students the option to move at their own pace, which is not always feasible in the classroom. Screencasts are excellent for those learners who just need an aural as well as a visual explanation of the content presented. Screencasting is a perfect medium to explain difficult technical concepts to anyone with a non-technical background. Teachers can also use screencasting for a variety of other classroom activates such as reviewing lesson content and presenting online lectures and professional development The Flipped Classroom Screencasts as instructional tools can be used in many different instructional modes such as an introduction to a topic, overview of a lesson, in-depth discussions, remediation, etc. The pervasiveness of online instructional videos such as Khan Academy, TeacherTube, YouTube, Lynda.com, neoK12, and many others gives student access to many educational screencast videos on the Internet. Recently there has been a lot of interest generated in the "flipped classroom" teaching model. The term "flipped" is so named because the classroom and homework paradigm is reversed. What used to be done in the classroom is now done at home, and that which used to be done at home is now done in classroom. Students watch and listen to a teacher's lecture via screencast video for homework, and then use class time for what previously, often, was done in homework: tackling difficult problems, collaborating in groups, and researching. For example, instead of starting classes with an overview of (a lecture) on the Big Bang theory, the overview and equations are completed at home via a Big Bang theory screencast. The next class could start with questions and discussion on the screencast content about the origins of the universe and transition into a class activity in which students are given the equation used to determine the rate at which the universe is expanding according to the Big Bang theory. As a result students come to class having prior knowledge of the content, more interest in the topic, and lessened cognitive overload. The flipped teaching method — a blending of direct instruction with constructivist learning activities — can be integrated across many curriculum areas. Benefits of using the flipped classroom methodology include: *Makes class time more productive for both teachers and students *Increases student engagement *Increases student achievement *Combines direct and online learning in a hybrid approach *Provides more time in which students can work collaboratively in groups *Engages students in learning and gives them knowledge of content before class *Gives students access to content if they missed class or need remediation Flipped Teaching Strategies Flipped teaching can be a very effective learning technique in learning content. However, students have to watch the screencast video to learn the content. How do you know students have watched the screencast? Here are a few strategies you can employ to track student responses, interaction with the screencast, and reflection using Google forms. (Google forms are a tool in Google Docs.) A Google form lets you create an easy to use web form to track student results. A Google form is automatically connected to a spreadsheet with the same title. When you send or share a form, recipients' responses will automatically be collected in that spreadsheet. To create a Google form, sign up for a Google Account and follow the Google steps in creating a form. Two form methods (screencast summary and question forms) can validate a student interaction with a screencast as the student writes a screencast summary and goes through questions and answers. Teacher-Created Screencasts Many online content-related screencasts can be used to supplement or even replace direct instruction, as in the flipped teaching model. Instructors can choose from thousands of educational screencast videos on the web for a particular lesson. However, searching and prescreening screencasts that align to specific lesson objectives can be a very time-consuming task. Therefore, teacher-created screencasts are the best way to ensure meeting lesson objectives, goals, and alignment to assessment practices and standards. In designing a screencast, instructional planning is essential in delivering quality instruction, as is a systematic approach to planning. The following eightsteps will help you create a screencast quickly and effectively: #Topic: Give your screencast a specific name related to a content topic from your lesson or unit of instruction. The content is what the screencast is about. Decide if the content format will be a presentation, tutorial, or demonstration. #Objectives: Specify the screencast's learning objectives. #Script/outline: From the objectives write a script and/or outline. #Practice: Read through your script and practice. #Record: Make the screencast recording. Keep the screencast no more than 10–12 minutes. You have the option of recording the narration in postproduction, which is recommended. #Recording size: Decide on a size for your recording. Some common sizes are blog or web page, 640x360; Screencast.com, 800x450; YouTube, 1,280x720. #Edit video: When you have the recorded screencast, edit it to include graphics, special effects, music, audio, and other video clips. #Publish video: You can publish the video into a variety of formats. Camtasia has presets to allow you to render your project to WMV (Windows Media video), MOV (QuickTime Movie), AVI (Audio Video Interleave video file), MP4 (iPod, iPhone), iTunes-compatible video, MP3 (audio only), GIF (animation file), and many other custom settings. From the Production Wizard you can share your video to YouTube and Screencast.com. The EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative "7 Things You Should Know about Screencasting" contends that good screencasts depend not only on thorough planning but also on thoughtful and careful editing to re-sequence lesson elements, eliminate awkward and unnecessary portions, and craft a focused, easy-to-follow presentation that uses students' time efficiently. For example, look at the screencast on the Battle of the Bulge